-Caveat Lector-
<http://my.abcnews.go.com/PRINTERFRIENDLY?PAGE=http://abcsource.starwave.com
/wire/Politics/reuters20010315_3650.html>
Democrats say Clinton pardons probe escalates
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key House Democrat said Thursday that
Republican investigators were stepping up rather than winding
down their probe of former President Bill Clinton's pardon of
billionaire Marc Rich, issuing new subpoenas and opening new
lines of inquiry.
Rep. Henry Waxman, ranking Democrat on the House Government
Reform Committee, asked chairman Dan Burton in a letter when the
panel's probe would end, suggesting Congress leave the
investigation to federal prosecutors in New York.
Committee investigators, along with a Senate panel and federal
prosecutors, are looking into charges that donations of more than
$1 million to Democrats and $450,000 to the Clinton library from
Marc Rich's ex-wife Denise influenced the pardon on the last day
of Clinton's presidency.
The probe has since expanded to look at allegations about other
pardons and the involvement of Clinton's half-brother Roger and
brother-in-laws Hugh and Tony Rodham in seeking pardons and
sentence commutations from Clinton.
Waxman said the committee earlier this week requested interviews
with Tony Rodham, Hugh Rodham and Roger Clinton, served notice
they would subpoena records from Roger Clinton and sought
information related to grants of clemency for people represented
by Hugh and Tony Rodham and for Harvey Weinig, whose 11-year jail
sentence for laundering drug money was cut in half by Clinton.
Waxman said investigators also have subpoenaed phone records for
Denise Rich and Beth Dozoretz, a Democratic fundraiser and friend
of Rich and Clinton. The committee had requested those records
earlier but have yet to receive them.
Both women have refused to testify before the panel, citing their
constitutional protection against self-incrimination.
"Your investigation now appears to be escalating and moving
beyond the Marc Rich matter to other pardons President Clinton
issued," Waxman said.
Kevin Binger, Republican staff director for the panel, said the
committee acknowledged weeks ago it was pursuing more information
on the efforts of Roger Clinton and Hugh Rodham.
"The investigation is on the same course that it's always been,"
Binger said, although he declined to provide details of all the
moves made by investigators. "We're taking the steps that we feel
we need to take."
HASTERT HAD SAID PROBE "WINDING DOWN"
Congressional leaders indicated in recent statements that the
pardon investigations were running out of steam, with House
Speaker Dennis Hastert suggesting the House probe was "winding
down."
"I would not say we are winding down," Binger said. "We're in an
information-gathering phase."
Waxman suggested in his letter that the pardons investigation was
better left to federal prosecutors in New York and that the
committee's efforts be shifted toward studying how the pardon
system worked in previous administrations.
That would include controversial pardons issued by former
President George Bush, he said, including those to former Defense
Secretary Caspar Weinberger and others involved in the
Iran-Contra scandal. Burton has rejected those suggestions.
"I look forward to your thoughts on how you intend to proceed
with the investigation," Waxman told Burton.
Binger said the committee had no intention of setting a deadline
for completing its investigation, but said: "We will not hold
hearings for the sake of holding hearings."
Copyright � 2001 ABC News Internet Ventures.
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